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Rabati Malik, also called Ribat-i Malik, is a
The portal of the ''caravanserai'' – which is one of the most ancient places among the Central Asia portals – peshtak with the central lancet arch of the niche in which there is a rectangular doorway. The arch concludes with a П-shaped frame, executed from carved terracotta in the form of eight final stars connected with each other, limited by intertwining tapes. The ring is decorated by Arabic inscriptions. On overhanging walls, under the layers of repair plaster, the remains of ancient ganched plasters with figures of vegetative characters are traced.
The portal, as well as all ''caravanserais'', has been laid out from adobe brick with the subsequent facing baked bricks measuring 25х 25 х 4 cm in size, on the ganched solution. The average height of the kept walls ranges from 0,4 up to 0,7 m. The ''caravanserai'' occupies – 8277 sq. m.
Rabati Malik, also called Ribat-i Malik, is a caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
ruin located on the M37 road from Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
to Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
about a kilometer west of the edge of Malik, Navoiy Province
Navoiy Region ( uz, Навоий вилояти, Navoiy viloyati, russian: Навоийская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekistan. It is located in the central north/northwest of the country. It covers an area of (a large part ...
, Uzbekistan. It was constructed along the Silk Road
The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
according to the orders of Karakhanid Shams al-Mulk Nasr
Shams al-Mulk Nasr was a Karakhanid ruler in Transoxiana from 1068 to 1080. He was one of the greatest rulers of the dynasty.
Biography
He was the son of Böritigin, a Karakhanid ruler from the western branch of the family, known as the "Alids ...
, son of Tamgachkhan Ibragim, who ruled in Samarkand from 1068 until 1080.
Site description
The portal of the ''caravanserai'' – which is one of the most ancient places among the Central Asia portals – peshtak with the central lancet arch of the niche in which there is a rectangular doorway. The arch concludes with a П-shaped frame, executed from carved terracotta in the form of eight final stars connected with each other, limited by intertwining tapes. The ring is decorated by Arabic inscriptions. On overhanging walls, under the layers of repair plaster, the remains of ancient ganched plasters with figures of vegetative characters are traced.
The portal, as well as all ''caravanserais'', has been laid out from adobe brick with the subsequent facing baked bricks measuring 25х 25 х 4 cm in size, on the ganched solution. The average height of the kept walls ranges from 0,4 up to 0,7 m. The ''caravanserai'' occupies – 8277 sq. m.
History
Rabat-i Mâlik holds a special place in the history of Iranian architecture. This is due to its impressive façade treatment of ornamental embedded cylindrical columns on the walls flanking the main entrance portal. The large, brick semi-columns were connected at the top by arches—a rare façade decor found on the flanking walls of the 2500-year-old Apadana palace at Persepolis, and at such Parthian and Sasanian monuments such as Firuzabad. The only other building of the Islamic period that contains such a treatment, is found on the minaret of Jarkurgan/ Dzharkurgan in the neighbouring Surkhondaryo province of Uzbekistan. Regrettably, except for the entrance portal that was badly damaged, the earthquake of 1968 totally demolished what was left of the rest of the rabat, including the landmark flanking walls with the semi-column decorations. Luckily, detailed monochrome photographs are available of the old flanking walls to document this landmark building and help with accurate restorations in the future.World Heritage Status
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 18 January 2008, in the Cultural category.See also
* Ribat, Arabic word for Early Muslim frontier fort, later caravansary and Sufi retreatNotes
References
{{coord, 40, 7, 22, N, 65, 8, 53, E, region:UZ_type:landmark_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Central Asia Uzbekistani culture Caravanserais Tourist attractions in Uzbekistan World Heritage Tentative List Buildings and structures in Uzbekistan